This thread has gone a bit quiet lately and I was hoping for some Dawes inspiration!

I've purchased a late 70's Galaxy frame and various bits from a forum member and while waiting for their arrival I'm trying to work out what to do when it arrives. I bought it to build up a daily commuter that will fit mudguards and possibly a rack and panniers down the track.

The bike does not come with gears and the frame does not have a derailleur mount but a derailleur hanger is included with the various bits. I've got a set of 27" wheels that were earmarked for the repco rt sport however they may end up on the dawes as the rear is fitted with a 1979 sturmey S5.1 5 speed hub. I've never used these wheels and after a bit of research I haven't found anything too complimentary about the 5 speed hub. Sheldon's site has some info on how to set them up to shift reliably so I'll give it a go and if it doesn't work then I'll look for alternatives.

Does anyone know what sort of BB I will need? It's got Dawes cranks which look to be square taper, but is the BB threading anything weird?

As for the cosmetics, the frame looks pretty ordinary with a dodgy rattle can job. I haven't decided as yet what to do here which is why I was hoping for some inspiration. I'm thinking of stripping and painting it myself but I have no experience in this whatsoever, not much space in the garage and with Sydney weather heading into winter it's not looking good for a home made paint job. I can either get it painted professionally or build it up as is, commute on it over winter and then strip it down to paint in summer. One of the looks that I really like is the clear powdercoat like amrjon's randonneur:

I also like the light blue metallic on the Dawes that Munga posted earlier.

jools wrote:Does anyone know what sort of BB I will need? It's got Dawes cranks which look to be square taper, but is the BB threading anything weird?

...build it up as is, commute on it over winter and then strip it down to paint in summer.

BB threading should just be normal BSA, the only thing to check is what axle length you need for your cranks.

I would go with the ride through winter option, then you have plenty of time to decide what colour you want to go with. I'm not familiar with clear powdercoat myself but i have heard that over time it cracks and lets moisture underneath which then rusts the frame and looks horrible.

You could have a look at the catalogue scan on my photobucket, personally i would LOVE a blue Lightning, they look great.

Not surprising this thread is one of the quietest on here, Dawes are pretty thin on the ground in Australia. Go on ebay UK and there's heaps, i'd love to ship over a container load .

When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments- Elizabeth West.

Jools, the BB is standard English thread, just stick a shimano square tapered cartridge bottom bracket in it, not sure of length sorry. The cranks are sugino (or SR ) marked as Dawes. It is a very nice frame, and will make a great commuter with plenty of mudguard room etc. The fork is chrome, so you'll need to choose a colour which matches it. How about British racing green?

Here's my dawes giro 200 that i bought from crime converters for $100. I use it as my bunch ride bike. It handles and steers really good. I fitted a set of soma bars as the originals were very uncomfortable (now with leather tape).

That garage full of projects sounds familiar! I've got about 4 or 5 in various stages of progress. Mostly waiting to start... I'm spending most of my riding time commuting on the repco superlight and the apollo iv, trying to work out why the repco is a much nicer and easier commuter than the apollo. The apollo feels like a better quality bike but for some reason I'm more knackered at the end of the ride. I think the gearing is part of it and there may be a slight difference in the geometry.

The problem with the superlight is that I can't fit mudguards - it's running 27 x 1 1/4" panaracer paselas and there is almost no gap at the brake bridge so I'm hoping the Dawes will be a nice commuting ride like the superlight but with room for guards

I'm really looking forward to getting the Dawes together though - I will probably keep it rat-looking for a while and get to know it. I'm not a fan of the BRG though Luke - I'm sure it would look good with the chrome fork but I'm not into green all that much...

I did a test fit of the wheels onto the repco yesterday and discovered the first problem - the cog on the sturmey archer hub doesn't fit a regular chain, so I'll need to work out what chain it needs and also get the right chainring for the front.

Nice looking Giro there Roadie - looks like a great score for $100! Is that a 90's bike? That is the biggest stem I've ever seen - did it come with the bike?

An update on my Super Galaxy restoration. I finished sourcing needed parts, and it is now sitting completely finished minus cables and wheels. I stalled on the wheel build because I wanted to get a few more builds in before I had a go at a really nice wheelbuild, and one that I will hopefully do some light touring on. I will try to get the garage sorted today so that I can lace wheels, and I'll get moving on it.As a little teaser I'll let you in on what I'm building, they're 1st generation Phil Wood road/touring hubs laced to Pacenti PL23 High polish box section rims. Same hubs as pictures on this Mercian touring bike.I'll get my ass in gear and try and have it done soon.

While we're at it, been meaning to post this for a while. Dawes commuter build. Picked it up originally to strip some Gran Sport bits and pieces from. No model ID on frame. Previously had it down as an Atlantis though in hindsight, don't think it is an Atlantis. Not an Echelon either and can't quite match the model with any of the catalogues I can find. The lack of eyes on the forks is particularly distinctive for a Dawes.

Anyway built back up now with bits and pieces - gen1 Cyclone derailleurs with Superbe cranks and SR Royal chainrings. Sort of a silver and black ano thing going on which kind of works with the frame colour. Kept the Weinmanns to reach the 27's.

Jools- the stem is a velo orange tall stem for a bit more comfort and i assume it to be late 80's or early 90's with the straight forks and indexing down tube shifters. I assume somebody brought the bike with them when they emigrated to oz. Dawes catalogue still lists this model for £300 but in alloy now instead of cromo. Ian